My King, Save Me
by literallyirelevant
Summary: Europe is under attack of Lord Voldemort. Harry's father made an allegiance with the Malfoy's in order to protect his kingdom but is too busy recruiting to help. Harry can't tell what Draco's true intentions are but is forced to work with him in order to save his friends and his people. With time, he sees that people are more than he sees. Hints at Drarry at times.
1. Chapter 1

**My King, Save Me**

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: No... I don't own it.**

**Warning: AU, Mentions of slash, Hints at Drarry, Rated M for later chapters.**

**AN: This is an AU, medieval-magic type thing. Just in case you don't like that stuff. Also all mistakes are mine.**

* * *

He sipped on his mead as he watched the messenger ride closer and closer to him, followed by a thick trail of dust and stones. He had waited days for his friends to update him on the war. The messenger looked distraught, his hat barely on his head and sweat running down his face. Harry stood up to grab the sack from the man's hands as he jumped off the horse.

"Prince! There was no sign of the house! Burned to the ground, I tell you! Those men, they have been there! I've heard the young maiden has found refuge in the Weasly's Manor. I could not travel there, Sir. There are so many Death Eaters. Where they go, they leave a trial of burned homes and ruined bodies! I saw a man eat the body of a child! The fields on the outskirts of Muggle town were burned and wrecked! It was a vision of Hell! Merlin give them mercy!"

Harry sighed, he already expected that, "Then who's the package from?"

The messenger wiped his brow, "The maiden's mother. She was dying, I did all I could do to help, Prince. The apothecary gave her a brew but she was too close to death. They poisoned her, I was to believe. She wrote a letter and gave a trinket for you to give to her daughter. She was deathly pale, only Merlin knows how death didn't come to take her then."

"Thank you, Colin. The servants have cleaned your quarters and will get your bath ready. Will I tell them to bring you supper too? You need rest."

Colin bowed, his hat falling off his head as he did so, "You are a kind Prince, Sir. I am glad to work under your name. May you live a long and prosperous life."

Harry picked up the boy's hat and returned it to him before walking back into the halls of the castle. Hedwig pecked at the sack, obviously upset that he hadn't sent for her to get it. Harry would have instead of endangering his best messengers life, but he had heard that owls who flew into the grounds raided by Death Eaters were a common meal for the one's left to suffer from the war. Hedwig was plump and strong, he would have been a good meal for a family. He had tried to send grain to the refugees hiding in small camps but horses were deathly scared of the smoke of burning villages. It wasn't even his kingdom and he knew that Kings were not kind when others tried to help them. It showed disrespect.

Muggle town was under the rule of Cornelius Fudge. It was in his kingdom and with all the Death Eater suspicion, all kingdoms were weary of one another. Trade happened outside city boundaries, usually by the Mediteranian at sea ports. Nobody wanted anybody from another kingdom to enter theirs, they might have brought poison or something equally as potent. He had heard from his friend Ron, also in the Fudge kingdom, that his younger sister had gone ill after drinking a poisoned bottle of mulberry wine. No apothecary had a clue what to do to save her.

"Dobby has a message for Prince Potter!"

Harry spun around to see his house servant, a stout little elf-like man. Dobby smiled up at him, his eyes glassy like they always were. Dobby looked to be his age, but with pointy ears, wider eyes, grayish skin, and an oversized mouth. He was dressed in what looked like a pair of trousers made out of a sack.

"Hello, Dobby. What do you have?"

Dobby smiled brightly, showing sharp yellowed teeth, "Prince Potter, King Potter has made an allegiance!"

"With whom?"

"With King Malfoy, Prince Potter! King Potter will be back in three weeks! One. Two. Three weeks!"

Harry had to keep himself from scowling... the Malfoys weren't exactly people he would ally with in war. As far as he knew, they sided with the Dark Lord. He was sure of it. The Malfoys were obviously far enough to the east and had some of the most popular ports. Their land was the largest of anyone he had ever known and their allies were almost as powerful as they were.

"King Malfoy will come tomorrow! He is almost here!"

"So soon?"

"Yes! Yes! Dobby will tell servants to make the room! Dobby knows what to do!"

Dobby quickly ran away and disappeared into one of the many secret tunnels that were made just for his use. They were much to small for anyone else. Dobby was an amazing servant, house elves were hard to come by and it often took years to get one to become loyal. Once they were, they were perfect helpers. They had an ability to travel though castles in a moment's notice. It was an impressive little trick. Dobby was easily won over and Harry got him at a young age. He was playing by the forest while his Mother was talking to other ladies when he saw the little elf. The little elf wore a skirt of leaves and was eating grubs. He had thrown his balled up sock at him and the elf was more than pleased with it. After that, he couldn't get rid of the elf.

His Mother never liked the elf much, as much as she tried to get him to wear proper clothes, he never would. Dobby never grew as far as he had seen. He was the same height and had the same face when he found him in the forest. Dobby had a love for dyed socks, the brighter the better. Dobby was as thin as parchment and all his socks would usually slouch all the way down to his soft leather shoes. The shoes were worn down and only held together with constant stitching and patches.

He went upstairs to his chambers and sat down on his bed. The sack was covered in dust and ash, probably to hide the vibrant red from showing when his messenger ran though ruined cities. He opened it to take out a sealed letter and a thin silver chain with a thin gold charm of a pointed hat. He put the necklace back into the bag, it wasn't his to observe. With a knife, he cut through the wax and pulled out the letter. Words were smudged and pressed together. There was only two sentences.

_"Find my husband, my daughter and save them. I beg in Merlin's name."_

Harry put the letter in his dresser before throwing his hands over his face and collapsing back onto his bead. A Catholic begged in Merlin's name... how odd was that. They hated witchcraft, but she asked him to save her family... Maybe she was finally coming to see sense of the world.

His hand searched under his goose feather pillow until they wrapped around a smooth stick of wood. He pulled it out and put the stick before his eyes. He had told himself he wouldn't use the wand again. It was war... his people needed help and his father was not to come home for weeks. With King Malfoy, he knew he needed it. Who knew what power the king held? His dark ways were not unheard of in the kingdoms... There was word that he kept his wife locked in her room under a sleeping potion after their son was born. It seemed very likely, Harry had ever met Malfoy's queen. All he heard of was her beauty and how Lucius wanted a son that owned her beauty. He was not one to settle down with a wife and have a happy family. His wife might as well be dead.

"Dobby!"

There was a small poof and the elf bowed to him, "Prince Harry, Dobby is here!"

"King Malfoy will be here tomorrow?"

"Dobby heard so."

"Make sure everything is perfect. Get the good wine. You may leave."

With that Dobby poofed away and Harry pulled his silk sheets over his head, kicking off his hard leather shoes in the process. Who cared about wrinkled tunics and shirts? He wanted to rest.

* * *

"Wake up, Prince Harry! Prince Harry must have Prince Harry's morning meal before King Malfoy comes!"

Harry groaned and rolled around in his sheets. The elf's long fingers were tugging at his sleeve. He pulled himself up to be attacked by the bright rays of the sun... it burned his eyes. What was royalty when one cannot protect his eyes from the morning sun? The elf smiled at him and put the tray down on his bed. He climbed under his bed and disappeared.

Harry looked at the breakfast of thickly sliced bread, creamed honey, and a small bowl of boiled apple. His upset stomach rumbled at the food. What was the use with King Malfoy coming? Lucius hated him... The man was probably ready to make him loose his stomach at the sight of him. He bit into the soggy apple and sighed at the bitter taste. At times like these, he wished he were a commoner. At least commoners got to eat apples right off the tree. It was heaven, the days where he was a child and his mother let him play outside with the peasants. The peasants would bow at him and he would smile back. His mother told him to always give coins to the ones that play with him.

Most of the peasant kids knew this but they had no use for the coins but their parents did. One day, he saw a house with an apple tree, a tree with bright red apples. They were like gold to him back in those days. He had never eaten one outside a pie or boiled. He had seen peasant kids eating them, how they crunched in their mouths. He had given three gold coins to the family that owned the tree and had gotten Dobby to get one for him. It was heaven until his mother saw, she scolded him. It was unhealthy for a young prince, he was told. After that, he could never get used to the bitter taste of soggy apples. Even sweetened with honey, they never compared to the real thing.

He pushed away the tray and pulled back on his hard leather boots. Already, he could hear the chattering of the servants as they made sure everything was at it's best for King Malfoy. He hoped Merlin would be on his side today as he grabbed his wand. He closed his heavy red curtains and went downstairs. As expected, the servants were carrying the best china plates and fresh fruit. The sun was hardly in the sky but all of them had a red tint to their cheeks.

"Harry, your tunic is all wrinkled. Must I remind you to take it off again?"

He turned around to see his mother's fiery red hair, "I apologize mother. Are you to stay for the midday supper with King Malfoy?"

His mother shook her head and he sighed, she was never around long enough, "Sorry son, I have work to do in the town. They need to be consoled, with so many of their relatives being killed by the Dark Lord. My brews are not potent enough, it takes much more than a few batches to console them."

"When will you be back?"

"I simply cannot know, son. I must leave. Good day."

He sighed as his mother walked away, her blue dress hovering from the ground and her rosey scent left with her. His mother was never around long enough to have a proper conversation with. She was magicfolk... she had work to do. It was oddly unfulfilling, telling himself this every time she left. He would not even see her on days of prayer. She was always in town making brews for the ones who needed it or staying at an inn. Was home not good enough for her? It worried him, his mother living with common folk. She was magic, but that did not mean a sword through her heart would not kill her.

The servants nodded their heads when they saw him and continued on with their lives. He went out to visit the church, at least there he would have someone to talk to. The church was built right beside the castle. It was built of black rock and looked more like a hut than it did a church. However, the black rock sparkled and bright blue flowers made the trail to the eerie looking building. The door was made of pure ivory but always felt as light as a feather. The knob was pure gold that radiated energy. The door opened before he got to touch the knob and he was welcomed by a deep voice.

"Harry, my boy. Wonder you came here. With all the work being one I wouldn't have expected you so soon."

He smiled at Dumbledore and sat down on a deep purple cushion on the floor. The slight coo of the phoenix brought his eyes upon the flaming red bird. It was a gift from the ancients to the devoted priest. The room had a picture of Merlin, who was flipping through books as he nodded every so often. Around him was a magical library, with stairs of marble and gold. The books often changed their titles, providing him with limitless amounts. He pressed his head to the floor and counted to two.

When he looked back up, the portrait was staring straight at him.

"You wish for luck," the portrait said with no emotion, "luck goes to the one with the kinder soul. May you go on and find it."

"Thank you, Merlin."

The portrait nodded and went back to his book. Dumbledore wiped a tear off the phoenix and smeared the tear on Harry's forehead, "Luck comes to the good more often than it does the bad."

Harry nodded and ran his fingers against the dark marble of the floor. Dumbledore's bright blue robes twinkled with stars and his white beard was tucked into his belt. His eyes shone in the same color as he pat the boy's head. Harry kept his eyes to the floor.

"I wish you luck. I will pray to the other elders. May they grant you what you need."

"I don't know what I need. King Malfoy is coming. His magic is strong."

Dumbledore nodded, "It is."

"Will you help me if it comes to a fight?"

The old priest shook his head, "Fate always has its ways. I believe you have a future, it is not my time to help. I will help when the ancestors will it. We must work for the greater good."

"If I die, the kingdom will be under the hands of King Malfoy until my father's return. That is too long. How will that help the greater good?"

"Your kingdom is not the only good there is."

Harry scowled, the old priest never made any sense. Then again, the priest would most likely survive everything. He had the favor of all the elders. That he was sure. When it rained, the priest never got wet. He was sure Dumbledore never had a full meal in his life. He ate sugared lemon syrup made into little lumps. Still, he remained as lively as a child. He certainly had the favor of the ancestors. Harry had eaten one of the lemon candies and they did nothing for him. Yet the priest insisted on eating them whenever possible. It was incredibly frustrating.

"Troubled minds do not do well in conversation. The King is due to arrive any moment now."

Harry sighed and stood up, the silver trinkets in the room whirred contently. He bowed to the portrait and then bowed to the priest.

"May the elders be in your favor, young prince."

With a heavy mind, he dragged his leather covered feet outside. If only the god were truly in his favor today...

* * *

He sat down at the head of the table, waiting for King Malfoy to arrive. He had heard that he arrived at noon, yet he saw no sign for him. He sipped on his blood red wine, wondering why the pompous king didn't show his face yet. Maybe he was planning to assassinate him... would he? That would cause war and few kingdoms were ready for any more war. The war with the Dark side was hard enough. There wasn't more lives to kill off. With the war came hunger and with hunger came death. The whole east side was to die out soon if the war did not end. Provisions were sent to the ones closer to the west. The kingdoms surviving in the east had all allied with the Dark Lord. They would do little to help their dying neighbors.

Dobby appeared besides him and bowed deeply, "King Malfoy is coming, Prince Potter Sir."

"Thank you, Dobby."

"Dobby is pleased to help Prince Potter."

The doors of the dining room opened as a man in a black cloak walked in, the dark cloak hemmed with gold thread. The shadow casted by the hood covered his face and only his frail pale hands could be seen. His boots were of dark leather and his trousers somehow were darker than the cloak. He walked in long strides to take the seat besides him. When he pulled off the cloak, Harry could see a youth.

"Draco Malfoy? Where's your father?"

Malfoy huffed, "Father is in his tomb. Buried there a few months ago. He died from smallpox."

Harry raised a brow, "I never heard the news."

"Our Kingdom is far from yours. The news must haven't reached this town with the slow trade and all. I made the allegiance with your father. He is looking for more kings to join us."

Harry looked wearily at Draco and clapped his hands for the meal to begin. Servants came in with roast pork, dates, onion bread, and hash. Draco gave him a silent thanks before taking a sip of wine and biting into a piece of pork. Harry looked at the young king. Draco was much different from is father who had shoulder length platinum hair and a scowl ready to hang any man that stood in his way. Draco also didn't carry a cane. Draco was around his age, although he only met him once or twice when Lucius came for meetings with his father. Draco used to pull his hair, tease him, and spank him when nobody was looking. Harry was sure he was to grow up to be like his father.

He was already surprised when Dobby told him that his father made an allegiance and was even more surprised that he woke up this morning. Draco had yet to hex him and didn't even comment on his wrinkled clothes or lack of a crown. Draco wore his father's crown, it was a thick circular ring with emeralds set around it. It sat on Draco's hair, which was considerably shorter than his fathers. Draco always appeared like a spoiled child to him. Then again what prince wasn't? However, seeing him as a King? A sixteen year old king... It hardly made any sense. How could Lucius die from smallpox? He knew the Malfoy's had the best apothecary at their use.

"Potter? Where is your mind today? That is if you have one."

Harry sighed as he was pulled out of his thoughts, "I am fine. What did my father offer for the allegiance?"

Malfoy took another bite of roast, "Nothing more than he needed to. We share our armies and supplies and some other things. Although I must ask, how many creatures live in the forest behind this castle? Some may be of use to us if we are to fight the lord."

"There are a couple dozen hippogriffs. Lord Black has a trained one he may let us use. They are incredible fliers."

Malfoy scoffed, "Hippogriffs are a annoying. They act as if they are the kings of the world. Merlin knows why they are here with us. They used to bug the our horses. I know you have some dragons. Doesn't Lord Weasley's son work with them for you? Never liked those Weasley's, too quick to dismiss but that son of thiers is famous in the world of dragon training."

"What need is there for Dragons? They cannot fight in battle."

"Dragon blood can heal the wounds of hurt soldiers. How many do you have?"

Harry counted in his head, "Twenty adults, the rest are still to young."

"That will provide more than enough. Do you have any right now?"

"We have them in our storages, Malfoy. Dobby!"

The elf climbed up from a passageway underneath the table and bowed, carrying a tray of buttered pastries which he put down on the table. The was a layer of flour over his bony chest and gloves were over his fingers. Harry could see Malfoy eyeing the elf.

"At Prince Harry Potter's service!"

"Get me a bottle of dragon's blood, any breed."

"Dobby will get Prince Potter dragon blood!"

The elf crawled back under the table and back into his passageway. Malfoy rose a brow at him before looking underneath the table at the tiny little trap door. Dobby returned moments later with a glass bottle sealed with a bronze topper in the shape of a dragon's head and left it on the table before disappearing once again. Malfoy reached for the bottle and pulled off the topper. He took a sniff and swirled the blood inside the bottle.

"May I take a drink?"

Harry nodded, suddenly unsure why Malfoy would want to drink such a thing. Dragon's blood tasted foul. He watched as the young king took a sip and lick the blood off his lips, humming to himself as he did so. Harry could smell the metallic fluid over the smell of roast pork... He never really cared for Dragon's blood but his mother used it because it was so darn useful. He never really saw someone drink the blood alone. Maybe once in a while in potions, but really... even the foulest of potions would have not compared to drinking blood. He had drunken it once, due to the beautiful bronze topper that topped them. He couldn't hold it down and ended up ruining a tapestry.

Draco seemed to notice the grimace on his face, "It's good for health. It's used in many rituals. I'm sure your father would have done some with so much blood for his use. You drink blood for three days and pray on the night of the fourth to Merlin. It's for good luck in war."

"I rather not."

"You are thick headed, Potter. The elders will not be in our favor if you do not do the ritual. I'm sure the dark lord _only _drinks dragon blood. The elders do not treat those who do not honor them kindly, Potter. Drink it in your wine, it may cover the taste or I can inject it into you if you prefer."

Harry rose his brow, "How do you do that?"

"You are willing to?"

Harry weighed the thoughts in his head. He really didn't want to release his supper in front of Malfoy, was his trust really that much in which he would allow the king to touch him?"

"If I kill you, I will die to, Potter. It's in the allegiance. I cannot kill those of Potter blood and you cannot kill those of mine. Although, that will be just me. My mother's as close to death as one can be."

"What happened to her?"

"Kissed by a dementor. The servants give her health brews from time to time."

"I'm sorry."

Draco shrugged, "You did not summon the dementor upon her. So are you willing to let me inject the blood in you? I can do so now. Although you will sleep for an hour afterwards."

"Fine..."

* * *

Harry laid on the medic's table as Draco got the equipment needed. As far as he could see, it was to be painful. Was the pain better than the humiliation he would have to suffer from having a little... accident if he drank the blood? The blood was foul... it wasn't his fault that he wasn't a trained dark wizard like Malfoy... Dumbledore usually drank the blood during some harvest rituals but the priest was insane. The lemon drops were probably so thick on his tongue that he couldn't taste the dragon's blood.

The room was interesting enough, a bookshelf filled with books on medicine and a heavy wooden door. He was laying on the table which was covered by a rough fabric and there were boxes of shiny silver objects. A few prayer charms were hung from the stone ceiling and some brews rested on shelves. All of them named and sorted. A cauldron rested in the fireplace and a ladle and knife rested on a table besides it. A gold scale held precious stones and what looked like beetle wings. The cutting board was covered by a dusting of red.

Draco was cleaning what looked like a hollow needle. It looked deadly.

"What is that for?"

"I have to get the blood in you, Potter. There is another... opening we can use but I'm pretty sure you would prefer piercing your skin than the other option, Potter. Or are you scared of a little blood?"

"I am not scared. Just skeptical if this will really work or if this is a plan to kill me."

Malfoy rolled his eyes and pushed his cloak out of the way, "If you die, I will too. I honor my own blood to much to do such a thing. You certainly aren't worth my death."

"Nice to know."

"Severus Snape created it, if that reassures you. He is a wonderful apothecary."

"He isn't a healer."

"Does that matter? Take off your shirt."

"Why?"

"I cannot do the procedure if your shirt is on, Potter."

Harry hesitated for only a moment before pulling off the layers of his tunic. He laid back down and Draco handed him a small bottle only a little bit bigger than his thumb. It was a clear inconspicuous liquid. There was no sheen or other color and it was sealed with a little cork and red wax. Harry spun the bottle around and saw no label. He could remember countless potions that were clearless... it could be anything. Were poisons clear too? It could have been a poison... it was obviously not from the medic's collection as all the wax on the medic's bottles were brown.

"What is this?"

"Sleeping potion."

"How do I know if it's poison or not?"

"Just drink it, Potter. I don't have time for your nonsense. I have traveled for five days and I would much prefer to sleep than kill you at the moment. If I were to kill you, it would involve you burning naked in front of the magicfolk church. Not something as artless as this. Piercing a needle through you heart in a dull room such as this would bring me no pleasure or fame."

Harry sighed and looked at the needle which was connected to a small glass cylinder filled with the dragon's blood pointing at his stomach. Draco looked annoyed as his chin pointed to the bottle in Harry's hand. Harry opened the bottle and sniffed at it. There was a pleasant minty taste but nothing else. If he got up and ran, Malfoy was sure to stab him with the needle and kill him... if killing him was his intention. He poured the contents into his mouth and felt his mind go fuzzy and pain spreading from his stomach. He tried to grasp at reality, tell the pain to stop but he found it harder and harder to get a clear mind. It hurt... his stomach was on fire and his heart was slowing. Everything hurt...

* * *

**Fin~ Constructive criticism would be nice. I'm sort of a newbie author.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own it. I just own the mistakes I make.**

**Warnings: Errmm... colorful descriptions? Also there probably are a few mistakes, I read over it but I'm sure I didn't catch all. **

**AN: Yay! I got three followers!**

* * *

Harry rolled over and clutched the covers to his chest as he heard a chair move. A cold hand touched his head as he tried to keep his eyes closed. There was a small pain coming from his stomach but everything felt fine. A harder push made him crack open an eye and looked into the face of Draco Malfoy. Draco was still wearing his cloak and looked rather tired, with dark circles forming under his eyes. His lips were stained with red and a bottle of dragon's blood was at his side. Harry noticed that he was wearing dragon leather armor beneath the cloak, it was dyed an inky black.

"I injected some more after you fell asleep. You don't take sleeping brew well, Potter."

Harry rolled over and groaned. He was back in his bedroom and it must have been the dead of night. The sky outside his window was black, with only a few twinkling stars that managed to shine through the clouds. Only a flickering candle gave them any light. He could feel the warm blood in his stomach, burning him from the inside out. It wasn't unbearable, but it wasn't pleasant either. How the devil child drank this, he did not know.

"Get up. There are plans to be done. Don't you want to visit that Muggle lover friend of yours?"

Harry's ear perked up, "You say it as if loving Muggles is a bad thing."

"We can get there within a few days if we start our journey this moment. Call that little wrinkled skeleton of yours to pack things up for you. All my stuff is already ready."

Harry detected the slightest bit of annoyance in the voice but decided to ignore it, "Dobby!"

The elf opened his little door and climbed out, "Dobby is here!"

"Can you pack my stuff and tell everyone I will not be back for a week? Make sure there is money and food."

"Dobby will help Prince potter pack!"

"Thank you, Dobby."

Dobby walked away and Harry could see Draco's gray eyes looking at the little elf. Harry noticed that the cloak the young king wore became thicker and formed a white fur trimming at the sides as Draco waved a wand around it. The gold embroidery was gone. His wrist moved in fluid movements before he slipped the wand back under his cloak.

"Are you going to change or what? I want to get there in time for the ritual."

Harry groaned and pulled himself up. He noticed that his tunic was still missing. Draco turned away and left the room, giving him privacy. He still wasn't completely sure if he liked the young king. In all truth, he was better than his father... well impression wise. He had yet to comment on the state of Harry's hair or the fading of the tapestries that hung in his room. Harry opened his wardrobe and took out a black tunic, a black velvet coat with a dark fur trimming, and his riding boots. He also pulled out his dragon armor, in a deep blood red.

With a second thought, he took out the sword of Gryffindor. If he was going to ride into the land of Death eaters, he might as well try to have Godric's favor. It was an ancient sword, one that he kept safe after Dumbledore gave it to him on his sixteenth birthday. It was said to be enchanted by the elder himself. It was a true beauty, pure silver with rubies on the hilt. Silver was not nearly as tough as iron, but the enchantments made sure it was stronger than diamonds. Harry had tried it on a tree in the forest behind the castle, the faeries were not pleased with him cutting down their tree and chased him back home until he offered them a barrel of honey.

He slipped into the tunic and cloak and hid his wand inside his sleeve before sliding the sword into his belt. He grabbed the sack with the trinket inside and clasp the chain onto his neck, he didn't want to loose it. The dragon leather was still new and he could hear it squeaking as he walked. Draco was leaning against the stone wall, obviously bored.

"I believe your elf would have set your horse for you."

"What about your men? Will they be going with us?"

Draco shook his head, "I will not risk their lives. I just need to visit the Weasleys. I've heard the battles are nearing them and one of the Lord's sons are well taught in curse breaking. While you visit the younger, I will see to him. I have something he wants. His talents will help us on this. The Dark Lord has many curses around the things we will need to defeat him. They will be staying in the closest town from here."

Harry forced himself not to roll his eyes, obviously Malfoy wouldn't offer to bring his to the Weasley Manor without reasons of his own.

"Will Fudge bother us for trespassing into his lands?"

"He is a coward. He probably fled Europe weeks ago and his people are only trying to cover his absence up with lame excuses. I'm sure he will not bother us. Last I've heard, he has arrived in China."

Harry nodded and led them both down to the front. Draco made no sound as his horse walked towards him. The horse had small sacks hanging from each side, probably enchanted. It was completely black, with not marking on it at all. The saddle was the same, black without a single bit of embroidery or frills. In the dark, Malfoy's white fur trimming was the only thing that shone. His face was safely covered by the hood of the cloak.

Another black horse with a rider was besides him, covered by a long cloak. The rider was bent over the horse, as if already prepared to ride. He could only see their slippers... knights rarely wore slippers. The slippers were a shimmering silver and he saw pale thin ankles. The black cloak covered everything else but Harry could see that the rider was incredibly frail and thin, their hands were covered with silver gloves and the fingers were thin and delicate. Harry thought there was a cloud of silver dust around the rider, but it could have just bee a trick of light. He or she didn't say a word.

Harry saw Colin walk up to him with a horse, a dark gray, dappled with black spots. On it was a brown saddle with gold embroidery. The horse had some gold ribbons through it's mane and the bags were shrunken but still festively decorated with gold and ruby ribbons. Next to Malfoy's dark horse, he felt frilly and stupid. Colin bowed to him as he climbed onto his horse.

"My Lord, be safe. I will ask the priest to pray for you."

"Thank you, Colin. Will you ask Dobby for where my father is staying and if you can, deliver a message to him once you are well rested? I want him to know I am off to visit the Weasley's with King Malfoy."

Colin bowed again, his eyes filled with determination, "I will not fail you my prince. I am well rested enough. I will go tomorrow at evening so I will be hiden by the dark of night."

"Thank you, Colin."

Colin bowed again and Draco nodded at him before riding off eastwards. Harry pulled on his hood to cover his head and followed after, wondering if he should have told his mother in person before he left. The other rider followed them, staying close to Draco's side as they rode. The sky hid them as the horses trotted through the forest. Harry told Draco of a stream they could rest at and they agreed to stop there once it was morning. The sun was rising before their very eyes and the stream was little more than a mile away. Harry could hear the creatures of the forest around them and begged that they won't bother him.

The creatures usually kept to themselves, although the vampires were usually quite persistent on trying to get a good meal. They rarely would kill but they seemed to enjoy a willing dinner. Once in a while, they would lure a woman from a manor and drink from her. More often than not, the lady was willing to let them drink her blood. it was odd, but the vampires were more charming than most men he had met. Personally, he didn't really like them but his Mother found them interesting and would allow them to walk freely through the manor. They usually built stone houses in the forest. They were usually little villages of a half a dozen or so houses with little blood rose gardens.

Harry heard the bubbling of the stream and he saw Draco and his companion stop. Only a bit away, he saw the stream. Draco hopped off his horse and so did his companion. His companion pulled of her hood and Harry saw a small face, framed with pale cornsilk hair. She was practically glowing in the morning sun. She was a veela... Harry knew she was. Draco transfigured a leaf into a cloth and laid it on the floor which the veela sat down onto.

"Draco, 'ow many more 'ourz till I zee my Bill?"

Draco shrugged, "More like a few days, Fleur. The manor is in another kingdom. Be patient, he will accept the offer if you are the prize."

The girl smiled brightly and nodded, "Zank you, King."

Fleur took something out of her pocket and let it grow back to normal size with her... wand?

Draco seemed to notice Harry's confusion and turned to him, "She's a fourth Veela. The rest of her blood is wizard. One of the lord's sons became enamoured by her while working in the manor she was working in. I was able to pay the lord for her. She is a good compensation."

Fleur scoffed, "'ompenzation? 'ou are mistaken. A Veela gets 'at a Veela wantz!"

Fleur took a bowl with a lid out of her bag and made a fire with a few twigs to heat it on. Draco rolled his eyes and sat down besides her, motioning for Harry to sit with them. Harry jumped off his horse and sat with them. Fleur was wearing only a thin pale blue gown under her cloak but didn't seem at all bothered with the chilly air. Once steam was going through a small hole on the lid, Fleur took the lid off and took bowls out her her bag before ladling them each a portion of the broth. Draco quickly added dragon's blood into his.

Harry waited for Draco to take a sip of the broth before he lifted the bowl to his mouth. It was a chicken broth with chunks of potatoes and carrots. Fortunately, it wasn't poisoned. The Veela sipped at her broth and made random comments about Bill.

"'ee 'as zee moz beautiful eyez!"

"Yes, Fleur. You told me that last week."

"'ee haz! You 'ave note zee zem!"

Draco seemed content on playing with the droplets of morning dew on the leaves of the ferns. He made them into odd shapes before letting them splash next to the cloth, earning him an outburst of complaints from the Veela. Harry kept his eyes peeled for villages. There was a village two miles from here and the magicfolk were known to go to the stream to catch their fish. The muggles were too weary of the creatures to venture into the forest, they would have been no treat anyways.

Draco rolled over onto his side and sighed, "I haven't slept for two days. Wake me up when the sun sets."

Harry saw Draco cast some spells over the area surrounding them, see me not spells and a few others. Fleur looked more than well rested and decided to go venture out in the forest, Harry was about to protest but the Veela huffed at him and walked away. She at least had her wand on her. She seemed well enough on her own. If she was a peasant as said by Draco, she probably wouldn't know more spells than what was commonly taught. The commoner spells had to do with house hold chores and a few defensive spells. Healer's children would learn the healing spells and some of the village boys would learn the spells for their craft. However, easy jinxes were usually learned in the villages and if the parents could afford it, they would hire a tutor to teach their children more in hopes of them becoming a warrior or work for lords and kings.

"Thank Merlin she is gone! If Bill doesn't take her I will kill that man!"

Draco was pulling on his own cloak, trying to block the sunlight. Harry noticed that Draco wasn't much taller than him, which gave him a surge of pride. He also noticed that Draco wasn't wearing his crown.

"Zee forezz iz lovely! Zee 'ere? I've founz zome fruitz."

"Oh Merlin, grant me death."

Fleur huffed and sat back down, dropping bright pink fruits onto the cloth, "Zee ungrateful get zee early death!"

"I want sleep."

Fleur ignored him and pulled a knife out of her bag and sliced the bright pink fruits. The fruit oozed a green juice that stained the cloth. Harry never seen them before.

"What are those?"

"I do not know zee name. My mozzer ate zem. Eat."

Harry took a slice of the fruit and ate it, the inside was incredibly tart but the outside had this odd floral taste. It wasn't that bad and he wanted to save the food that was in his sack. The fruit was incredibly soft but the skin had that crispness that he loved. The Weasley manor was no where near and he did not want any of his subjects to know that the prince was riding trough such dangerous grounds. They were kind hearted but he knew more than one would go after him to make sure he was safe. He didn't want them to get killed.

"Izz dry zem for later."

Fleur had cut them in flat circles and was cooking them over a few burning twigs. They became brown over the fire. Draco seemed to be deep asleep as he wasn't at all bothered by Fleur's voice. Fleur looked incredibly thin and whenever she moved, there was silver around her. Harry couldn't figure out why Draco got so annoyed of her.

He noticed the bottle of dragon's blood and pulled off the topper to be assaulted with the smell. Fleur winced and went back to cooking the fruit. Harry dipped his finger in it and brought it to his lips. It couldn't be as bad as he remembered it. He stuck out his tongue and licked it... it was terrible. He gagged a bit but managed to hold the broth and fruit down. It was worse than he remembered it, unlike firewhiskey it had this warm stickiness with the fire. The taste clung to his mouth and burned as it went down his throat. His eyes filled with tears and he was sure his stomach would burn just as much.

Fleur gave him an odd look but seemed unconcerned by his reaction. Harry sighed and took the bottle off his belt and took a drink of mead before laying down on the cloth. He might as well get a little bit more sleep before they had to ride again.

* * *

"Zee men never wake up! Waze of time!"

Harry groaned and found himself surrounded by warmth. He felt the object besides him move, letting the cold get to him. He groaned and pulled the object closer. He felt cold hands shaking him but he didn't want to wake up. It was too warm.

"Bloody hell... get off me, Potter!"

Harry opened his eyes to see that he was indeed on someone and the particular someone was far from pleased. He felt his face flush as he scrambled off. Suddenly, he was quite appreciative of the setting sun that made everything glow red. Malfoy glared at him as he stood up and dusted himself off. He was sure he wasn't that dirty. Fleur just jumped onto her horse and Draco did the same. Harry pulled his feet over to his horse and patted her side before climbing on. It was going to be a long ride.

"Malfoy."

"What?"

"There are villages around here. I think we should stay at a trot, to not get attention."

Malfoy grunted and they trotted across the stream. Harry swore that the stream looked like flowing gold in the light of the setting sun. It was deadly cold and if it weren't for the pale glow that Fleur gave off, he would have gotten lost... Lost in his own kingdom... wouldn't that be embarrassing. Only ten miles after, his ass stung and his hands were chaffing from the cold... he should have gotten gloves. Yet neither Fleur nor Draco stopped. His stomach still had the little burn, which he was suddenly very grateful for.

The forest were beautiful, with all the rare flowers that grew in there but they were dangerous as well. Peasants were forbidden to go anymore than a fourth of a mile in, in case they were attacked. The forest ran for miles through the kingdom and the last half mile was free territory. People in general would only past through free territory for trade and not much else. Although, it was more common just to go by boat and not go free territory at all. Free territory was filled with bandits and what nots. He saw that Malfoy stopped at the start of the free territory. He must have came by boat if he travelled here so fast. Of course he wouldn't have passed free territory.

He remembered his father mentioning that there was quite the amount of werewolves in the free territory. The howl in the distance didn't do anything to calm him down. In all truth, he never passed free territory without his father and a dozen or so of his men. Free territory was filled with trees to the point where the moon didn't shine through. Even the vampires stayed away from the place. They could easily fend off the wolves as the wolves didn't particularly like the taste of vampire flesh, but vampires didn't like living where wolves marked their territory. It wasn't exactly the most welcoming of places.

"Fleur, use as many protection spells as you know. We need you to finish the trade."

Fleur nodded and with the blink of an eye both her horse and her blended into the dark of the forest. Draco looked back at him and pulled out a sword with a black stone hilt. Harry did the same and took out Godric's sword. He saw Draco's eyes look at the sword with interest before trotting back to him.

"If we attack, you go run off with Fleur. I don't know how good you can fight. But I don't need you killing us both."

"I can fight."

He saw Draco nod, "You can fight, that doesn't mean you're good at it. How good are you with that wand of yours?"

"Acceptable for a prince."

"I don't know what's considered acceptable. How good are you, Potter?"

Harry glared back, "Good enough. Just because you're a king doesn't make you any better than me, Malfoy!"

"Merlin, you're like a child. You're going to make everything come to us. Let's go."

Draco's horse started off at a slow trot and Harry heard Fleur's horse follow after. He couldn't see her glow anymore. He held onto his sword and galloped after. The forest was impossibly dark but the shadows still showed. They flashed across his eyes and he was forced to push his glasses back up every few moments just to make sure he wasn't going blind. Spots danced across his eyes to confuse him and more than once he could feel a faerie bumping into him. Merchants only went on the path during the day and with the war, they went less and less. Even with the war, most weren't brave enough to go without a trained warrior or a whole caravan.

Every so often he would hear another howl. His horse was breathing loudly and neighed often, confounded by the dark. Harry wanted to use a simple _lumos _but he didn't want to attract any wolves. Wolves were bloodthirsty during the full moon and he was pretty darn sure that today's moon was the brightest he had ever seen. If that wasn't a death sentence, he didn't know what was. There was obvious discord between the events and the moon, Merlin was not in his favor.

"Potter!"

"_Perfect meal... little prince in the forest. Isn't this a surprise."_

Before he could react, he felt his horse fall beneath him. The saddle was pulled away beneath him, making him slip and cling onto the throat of his horse. Jaws snapped and his horse whined. He jumped off the horse and slashed the creature that attacked it with his sword. Warm blood hit his face and a wild yelp echoed in his ears. He heard Fleur scream and a horse galloping away. He slashed randomly with his sword, hoping that it was killing whatever creature was trying to attack him.

"_Trying to fight? Trying to fight... little prince?"_

All he saw were bright yellow eyes, they somehow shone in the dark. He pulled back his sword and made the gleaming yellow eye his target. He swung forward and the eyes widened before the sword made a clean line right through it. The thing howled with pain before falling onto the ground, it's yellow eyes disappearing.

A bright red blast of light was inches from hitting his face and hit another pair of yellow eyes in the forest. There were so many eyes, all like little yellow faerie lights. He swore he could see their teeth shining, all of them snapping away at him for killing their friend. He stumbled on the floor trying to drag himself up. The horse's heavy body was on his leg. He felt arms pull him up and warm blood making it's way into his armor. The blood was clinging to his body, the smell was everywhere he turned. The heavy breathing of his horse was strangled.

Snapping and growling was surrounding them. His boots were planted to the ground as he felt himself be yanked from underneath the armpits and carried off. He tried to resist but a hand covered his mouth.

"You better thank me for this, Potter!"

* * *

First thing he noticed was the hay mattress that he was lying on then he noticed Draco, grumbling as he talked to an extremely tall pale man. The man's skin was almost translucent. The man looked at him and smiled, showing him pointy pearlescent teeth. Vampire. The man just laughed at him before handing something over to Malfoy. After, the vampire left the little stone house and Draco flopped down onto the floor. He groaned into his gloves before glaring up at him. His gloves left the tiniest bit of red on his cheeks.

"You!"

Harry sat up, completely surprised with Malfoy's tone. Malfoy looked incredibly small bundled up and on the floor. He still wore all his armor and his lips were still stained red from dragon's blood. The small heat in his stomach told him the Malfoy probably put some in him already. Malfoy didn't look especially pleased with him at the moment and his pale face was flushed red and he was pointing an accusing finger at him. Oddly enough, there was a string on the finger that made it look much less menacing. He wondered what Malfoy was scared of forgetting.

"You better make sure you use your wand next time! Are you a wizard or not?!"

Harry looked down, "Sorry. I was surprised."

"Thank god that sword of yours was silver. If it wasn't you'd be dead by now! Those were werewolves out there!"

Harry glared up at Malfoy as his hands went to his belt.

"Where's my sword!"

Malfoy jabbed his thumb to a small wooden table, "That just materialized here during the night. I thought you lost it."

Harry sighed with relief and stood up a little bit too quickly, a sudden pain shot from his neck. Malfoy smirked at him from his place on the floor. Harry let his hands touch his neck and felt two little scabs... he was sure the wolves didn't bite him.

"Wha-"

"We made a little compromise with the vampires. They liked your scent best so we let them have you. It's only fair if you're causing this much trouble. Fleur's is getting more food, the vampires like her. Them being magical creatures and all. Luckily they didn't like my blood. The leader wants another feeding before we leave."

"You can't do that! I am not food!"

Malfoy glared back, "I can too! Fleur was lucky enough to find this place. I had to carry you on my shoulder for miles! It's not like you're light! My shoulder is killing me! Vampire bites don't even hurt much, they usually make it quite nice. You should be thankful they took us in. We're just outside of Fudge's territory. We traveled far in one night, not thanks to you."

"Are you calling me fat? I am not fat! I bet you weigh more than I do! It's not my fault that you are weak. Couldn't you have used a spell to make me lighter?"

"I could have if I wasn't constantly fending off spells! you're armor is spell-proof! I didn't have time to lay you down and strip you naked just to charm you with a feather light spell! Also, I wasn't calling you fat! I'm just saying you could have been lighter if you faint so easily? What are you? A maiden in distress? If I wasn't there, half a village's men could have used you before you would have noticed!"

"I am not a woman," he seethed, his hands groping the bed for something to throw at the arrogant arse! How dare he call him a maiden? Something must have gotten to his head! Who would not have fainted if they were almost attacked by werewolves?

"Men have their ways for getting what they want out of boys too, Potter. Must I demonstrate to you with puppets? That's what children like and you're the biggest child I have yet too meet! You are sixteen yet you act as if you were born yesterday. What have you done to possibly anger Ravenclaw enough that she made you as thick as a rock?"

Harry wanted to rip the boys head off, "Go die, Malfoy! I am strong enough to protect myself from mere men!"

"Are you so sure of yourself? Strip yourself naked and walk into the closest village from here! The Dark Lord killed most of the women already and I'm sure the men are just waiting for a little boy like you to walk in there. Let's see how well you do then! There are wizards among muggles, some of them stronger than you may think. You work very well as a girl, Potter. You're so pale and so easily flustered. Not so brave anymore are you, Potter? You're blushing."

Harry turned away from Malfoy, attempting to cover his face, "I am not! It's inadequate for you to speak of such things to me when I'm in this condition. It's improper! I command you to stop it, Malfoy!"

"Scared of sex? Scared of men shoving their-"

"Enough! I don't want to hear it!"

He heard Malfoy laugh as he left the room, his sword scraping along the stone floors as he did so, "Potter gets bothered by the mention of sex, what a child."

Harry huffed and lied back down, pulling the rough bed sheets over him. He didn't need Malfoy speaking to him if he were to be so rude. If only Ron were here to shut his mouth for him. Ron always loved to laugh about Malfoys and their faces. In all truth, Draco did look very much like a rat when he was little. His hair used to look a bit like fluff and his nose was so in the air, Harry was sure he wouldn't have noticed if he ran into a wall or not. He sighed and cuddled back into the blankets. If a vampire was to feed from him again, he wanted some more rest.

* * *

**Fin~ Reviews will be loved!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine**

**Warnings: Oh... erm just a tiny bit of not so decent arguing? This is a pretty safe chapter like the first two.**

**AN: All mistakes are mine. **

* * *

Harry looked at the ruined carcass the rested in front of his... pieces of meat held onto the bones. If he wasn't told that this was the carcass of his horse, he would have never guessed what it was. Some bones were broken and the marrow was licked out. The skull was only a few yellowish red stained pieces. A leg remained intact, the once soft pelt now sticky with drying blood. Harry kicked at the pile of bones with his boot, earning himself a wet thud. It wasn't much of a horse anymore. The oddest thing was that his bags were completely intact. They were a little bloody, but it wasn't anything a good cleaning spell couldn't get rid of.

"Zee animule... iz juz bones!"

Harry nodded and ran his hand over his neck again, it didn't feel that great. The vampires walked around him with little care, having already went into the village. The trees were much less dense at the clearing and Draco was urging them to go into the kingdom. If they could reach there in time, they could preform the ritual at the Weasley's church. He wasn't sure if any other church was accept them. Harry touched his belt to make sure his sword was still with him. The cold metal comforted him slightly.

He was already on his black horse and Fleur hopped onto hers, thanking the vampires as she did so. Harry grabbed the bags and climbed onto the back of Draco's horse. He had attempted to ride Fleur's but the horse was stubborn. Apparently, it preferred "_a ladies tooch_".

"Better hold on, Potter. It'd be unfortunate to drop you in a village."

Harry growled but held onto Draco's shoulder. Holding his waist would have been much to patronizing for him. He was already having someone else ride the horse... it was just not right. He looked back at the sad carcass of his horse and shook his head. Draco's horse went sprinting down the path with Fleur's horse right beside him. She had used the glamour again. If he didn't look carefully, he wouldn't have noticed if she was there or not. Only a few miles in and he saw a human. Most likely magicfolk. The man was walking with a cow, only looking at them for a moment before entering the woods. He was extremely scruffy, with tattered clothes.

Soon they were at a clearing of unused farmland... not a single green sprout in sight. The little houses were made of clay and mud, all with little gardens besides them. Some of them had small bits of farmland tended, but most of it was left dry. In the distance, they saw a small stone manor. It wasn't the Weasley's. People looked at them as they passed by but seemed much too busy tending their animals or pulling out weeds. They kept away from the farm land, no need to cause a commotion riding in like that.

"Their manor shouldn't be far from here."

"Wrong, Potter. Their manor is on the other side of the kingdom. If we're lucky we will get there by the end of day. If you didn't have such a long nap, we would have had more time. It's dangerous riding in daylight. There are about two more hours before the sun goes down."

Harry held onto Draco's shoulder's harder, hoping that it would sting. They rode at the sides of manors and at one point they passed a small town. The town was a bit empty with only a few people walking about and a few merchants trying to get someone to buy their crafts. Everybody looked tired in the town, even the children who were playing with bits of string and stick. Their laughter was weak and the cobblestone streets only held a few carts. A few mules drank from troughs here and there, but not much else happened. Some villages looked deserted, they probably were. Odd broken carts speckled the roads, woods chopped clean at some parts as peasants saved up for winter.

They rode until the sky passed from night to dawn. In the distance he recognized Weasley's Manor. The Manor was an odd thing, built into the side of a hill. It had multiple floors, each looking as if it was going to collapse from it's own weight. Instead of a nice rooftop watchtower, they had tiles made of straw, very much like a peasants hut. While the ground floor was made of stone, the rest of the floors were made from a mix of cobblestone and wooden planks. It was held up by magic and he knew it was. There was no other explanation for how such a terribly built structure stood. It had gained the name the Burrow due to the hill that carried it's backside.

In the light of the dawn, he could see peasants walk out of their houses, their hoes and buckets with them. Draco jumped off his horse, leaving Harry to oddly climb off, his back completely sore from the ride. Fleur quickly took off her glamour and was shining like pure silver. She clung onto her cloak and smiled at them, a smile so pleasant Harry had to force himself to look away. Draco grabbed Harry harshly by the arm while Fleur walked ahead as if she knew she was supposed to be. With how long she probably was with Draco before they came here, it wasn't hard to believe that they prepared for this.

"Okay, we let them see Fleur first. Bill will remember her. If they still want to attack, we show you. They know you."

Harry looked over at Draco, "What about you?"

Draco shrugged, "I'll hold you closer. That way they can't hurt me without hurting you first. They won't do that, Potter. You're kingdom is much to close and it's stronger at the moment. They knights will know not to hurt you."

Harry felt his cloak get pulled down as they walked through the fields, he had to fight back the urge to smile. Despite the manor being shabby, the fields were properly tended for the winter. The peasants gave them a polite nod and went back to work. Both his arms were held behind his back and Draco was pulling him along. Fleur had a spring in her step as she skipped in front of them, her hair flying in the light breeze. As they reached the manor, two knights with lances stopped them. They were wearing chainmail, the armor of muggles... yet Harry saw their wands in their belts.

"We have a trade for the lord's son."

The knight moved his hat and looked at them, staring at Fleur appreciatively, "Who passes?"

Harry coughed weakly, "Prince Harry Potter from the Potter Kingdom and my Prince Draco Malfoy. He means no harm."

The knight glared at them but nodded at the other knight who quickly ran into the manor. Moments passed before Bill ran out, straight past the knights to grab Fleur and swing her through the air. Bill was older than Harry remembered, his hair flaming red by the torch light that hung on the stone gate. Fleur giggled but pulled herself away and stepped back, lowering her head as she did so.

"Hello Bill."

Bill looked at Harry and gave him a nod before facing Draco, his face stern, "Why have you come with her? For a trade, I suspect?"

Draco nodded, "We need your skills to help us in the east. In return, you may have her. It's a good deal."

Bill looked over at Fleur and back at Harry, "Did he hurt her?"

Harry shook his head, "No, Bill. He didn't hurt her. She has her own horse and bag and everything. Don't you, Fleur?"

Fleur nodded eagerly, "Zee King 'az been very kind."

"King?"

"My father died, I have succeeded him as his only heir."

Bill grabbed Fleur's hand and waved off the guards, "We may talk inside. You all look terrible. my mother is already awake and cooking. I believe you are here to see Hermione, are you not, Harry? She is inside, although a bit ill. The apothecary in town has been slaughtered in the last raid. We have been using our storages but we fear we do not have what she needs. The poison is deep inside of her, Harry."

Harry's hand slipped to his neck, the trinket was still there, "I'm here to see her. I will do my best to help her."

"We can use all the help in the world. The muggle villages on the eastern end are not faring well. All the ladies have been dying. The men seem unaffected. We are praying to Ravenclaw, but it is no use."

Draco huffed, "Ravenclaw only enhances one's knowledge. If the knowledge is not there, the praying is of no use."

Bill glared at him then looked back at Fleur, "King Malfoy, I will accept any offer as long as I have her. Come in."

* * *

"Oh dear! All you children look starved! How thin you are, Harry! What has your mother been doing? Queens have obligations and their heirs should be one of them! You are so pale, child! As white as marble! Draco? Oh! Prince Draco? Not Prince? King?! King?! Why, why! A King is visiting us today. How have you been? Oh! The onion soup is ready! A king shouldn't be allowed to be so thin! Tsk, tsk. I will properly fatten you both up! No need for Lady Weasley, just call me Molly!"

Bill sighed and sat down on the large round dining table, Fleur sitting besides him. Almost instantly, his mother had ladled out bowls of onion soup and sliced thick bread for all of them. Harry dug in, his stomach empty from not eating the day before. Draco huffed at him before sipping away at his soup. Harry dunked the bread into the soup and chewed on it as Fleur smiled at all of them as if they were the most entertaining thing she ever saw. However, Molly didn't seem to be so happy with how Bill was holding her hand instead of using both of his hands to eat.

The Weasley's kitchen was in the same room as their dining room, because Molly enjoyed cooking much more than most ladies usually did. That and that the woman on the manor were much to busy working to have any be used as house servants. They weren't rich enough to hire a servant from the villages either. The forest around the manor were muggle forest, no house elves at all. So they were left doing their own chores.

"Ron will be down any minute! Ron?! You're friend Harry is here! Prince Harry! He came to visit you! Get down here this instant!"

Molly chuckled as she ladled in more soup to his bowl and put down a plate od sausages, "We always have enough to eat, although you better get what you want fast! Ron eats enough to feed a peasant family. Ginny will be so glad you're here, Harry. She has been begging Bill to get a boat for her to visit you! We couldn't let her, of course. Too much Death Eater raids on the ports."

Harry nodded, his mouth too full of warm onion soup and bread to talk.

"Harry, you don't need to eat as if you're starved," Draco snidely mentioned.

Harry rolled his eyes, "It is not as if you promised yourself to a vampire! It isn't that easy when your awake and the vampire is practically groping you!"

"Groping? He was just trying to make the blood move so it'd taste fresher. Don't complain on their feeding ways. The mark isn't that bad."

"You seem to know a lot about them. How come? You like groping boys for blood? Is that why you down the Dragon's blood so easily? Never knew you had it in you, Draco. I thought you were always hiding behind your Daddy's shadow as he slept with all the ladies in the kingdom! The papers must have loved that."

Draco glared at him, "Don't talk about my father like that! Whoever he bedded was private! He would never had made any a public scandal! It's not as if you had any experience with it! If a whore touched you, you'd faint!"

"Boys-"

"Be quiet! At least I don't sleep with little boys and drink their blood!"

"I do not such thing, Potter, and you know it! If I did, you'd be dead by now! Scared to think of me with a woman? Poor Potty, scared of such simplicities such as sex!"

"I am not scared of sex! I just find the concept inappropriate for someone like you to explain to me!"

"Want your father to show it to you? Well because I'm the only king here, I think I should show you. See this sausage?"

"I don't want you to show it to me! I know about it well enough!"

"Ahh, well enough is never good enough. Don't you want to know how you are made? When a man beds a woman he shoves his-"

"Boys! This is enough! I will not have such talk at the dining table! I expected better out of you two! Now hush before Ginerva comes down. She is too young for this," Molly huffed, her knuckled white around her soupspoon. They both nodded and Harry lowered his heard in shame. His face was as red as the blood that somehow still stained Draco's lips.

"Molly?"

"Yes, Draco dear?"

He heard Draco hesitate at the name, "Can Harry and I use your church this night? The time is due we preform the ritual."

Molly seemed to be surprised by the question and looked at Harry, to which he nodded at her, "Of course you two may use the church. It's on the other side of the hill. I hope your ritual works. Merlin knows we can use a little help."

"Thank you, Molly."

Molly left the room, using the excuse of needing to wake Ginny. Bill turned to them, his bowl clean and his hands clasped firmly over Fleur's.

"I'll travel with you East but Fleur gets to come with us. She can fight."

Draco nodded, "I don't doubt her fighting skills. She may come."

"Yet you doubt mine."

"Fleur lived at the edge of a manor besides a magic forest. It was often that she had to venture in there. Did you not see how well she was with the vampires? She helped me fight when we got into a bit of trouble at the port."

Fleur smiled even brighter which caused Harry to bite back a scowl. He knew how to fight. The wolf incident was a once in a lifetime thing. He survived the attack too... that meant something at least.

Bill coughed into his arm, gaining Harry's attention again, "Do we go tomorrow?"

Draco shook his head, "We go right after the ritual. You can bring Fleur to rest until then. You should pack. It'll be a while before we are back. Would your mother mind if we get some more provisions?"

Bill nodded and pulled Fleur up with him, "I will ask her. Wake us up when we are to go."

They walked out of the room and Draco pulled a fresh bottle of dragon's blood out of his sack. Harry watched as he gulped some more down before passing the bottle over to Harry. Harry tried to ignore the smirk on Draco's bloody lips as he brought the bottle to his mouth, gulping nervously as he tilted it back. The cold liquid left an odd burn to tickle on his lips and made a searing line down his throat as he gulped it down. The putrid scent filled his nose and he struggled to keep the tears out of his eyes. He ripped the bottle away from his lips and drank from the steaming bowl of onion soup, hoping it would assuage the burning in his stomach.

"Well... I didn't expect you to drink it, Potter. Didn't know you can."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Malfoy."

Malfoy nodded and pulled his hood back over his face, "I will go outside to tend the horses. I don't feel the need to be in here when your... friend comes down. Rest up, you're going with me to the east, you know? Your father will join us too."

"I suspected. For my people, I will do it."

He listened to Draco's heavy boots on the stone floor as he left the room and sunk into his chair. He was surprised that the young Malfoy didn't comment on the Weasley's lack of tapestries or carpets... he was almost proud of the thing. He heard a pair of shoes clomping down the stairs behind him.

"Mate! Didn't know you were here to visit! Where's the rat king? Show him what we're made of? No king gets to drag Prince Potter 'round!"

Harry smiled at his friend as he patted him on the back. Ron plopped himself down on the seat besides him and grabbed a sausage. He chewed with his mouth open and smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"How's Hermione?"

"Not so swell. Mom got her on some potions but she's not much better. You can still feel her heartbeat when you lean real close. One time I touched her hand and it was bloody cold!"

"We'll save her."

Ron chuckled, "Ya! When we do it'll be like the old times. We'll go to the towns and get whatever we want. Hermione would just love this crap! Hell, she'll treat the war like a history book. Wish she could still help us."

"I want to see her, Ron."

"You sure? Hell... after I eat. We have time, 'snot like she's gonna get up and walk away from us. She's as still as a stone, never moved, not even a finger. I miss how she used to slap me when I talked to much. You 'member that, Mate? She used to be so naggy, shoving books in our faces. I miss her voice."

* * *

"You go in, Mate."

Harry nodded and pushed open the wooden door, a body was on the bed. Harry walked over to the side and sat on a chair, looking at her pale face. The rest of her body was covered with a blanket and the tips of her fingers were turning blue. Everything looked so brittle, so breakable. Her once wild hair laid in their limp frizzed up tresses. There were warming charms around the bed and bottles of potion just sitting at the side. Needles similar to the one Draco used on his were in wooden boxes.

"We tried all we can, Harry. Hell, we even set off gunpowder in the room and she-"

"didn't even stir one bit. We woke up half the manor and she slept as soundly-"

"as a bear!"

Harry looked over to see the twins, Fred and George, dressed in bright red tunics that clashed horribly with their flaming hair. Fred... or George... walked over to the wooden box and took out a glass needle and filled it with the milky yellow potion before piercing the needle into Hermione's cold arm. She didn't move. It was so odd, Hermione sleeping in middle of the day. Usually she was awake at the break of dawn and scrubbing down the floors of the town special library. He remembered meeting her, how he thought she was some sort of insane child. She was throwing random facts at him as he and Ron asked her to bring them the _History of Swordplay_. Apparently, the history of swordplay was much to borrowing and she forced them to do arithmetic problems. Soon after, they found out she could do magic and bought her a wand.

Hermione loved that wand. Even being born in a muggle town with muggle parents, she was the best out of all of them. She perfected any spell with ease within minutes while Ron attempted not to explode anything. It was a perfectly good time, but then things started to go bad. The Dark Lord that ransacked kingdoms came to power once again. Hermione thought she was safe, as they were safely to the west. Her parents knew about magicfolk... who didn't? Even with their belief in magicfolk, they didn't believe in the elders. They never prayed to them. Most of the muggles didn't.

That was the thing, the Dark Lord wanted to rid Europe of Catholics and Christians alike. Almost all muggles were one or the other. This made them his main targets. However, killing the muggles were not enough. He wanted to rid everyone who did not see Slytherin as the high elder. This was almost everyone, they all knew Merlin was the high elder. However, the power hungry kings and lords shifted to his side, forcing their people to convert or die. Fudge was a coward, but he was ignorant. He did not see that his army was weak and the edges of his kingdom was being broken down by spies.

The spies had raided the muggle towns and poisoned their water supply. The water only hurt the women, the women that did not fall ill to the poison were raped and beaten before they were left to die.

"Where's her father?"

The twins shrugged, "He ran off looking for his wife."

"We tried to stop him, Harry."

"We really did, but he left at nightfall-"

"When we couldn't see a thing. We never-"

"saw him again. We think he's dead."

Harry nodded and took the necklace of his neck and wrapped it around Hermione's cold hands. The twins left the room and left him too his thoughts. When his skin touched hers, he could feel the blood in her body, running as swiftly as they ever could. The blood was cold. It was freezing. His finger touched her wrist and he felt the pump of her blood, if it weren't so cold, the rhythmic beat would have comforted him. Her hands were soft now, not the calloused hands that would grab his wrist to pull him around muggle town. Her face wasn't her face, it was stoic, her face always had this studying look. Now it was gone.

"Don't get your hopes to high, Potter. The last person who was in a coma died a week ago."

Harry glared back at Draco who was covered in his cloak, looking as warm as a fat little ferret.

"Bugger off. Hermione's stronger."

"She came from muggle town."

"She's muggle born, she's still magic."

"Really? Let me see."

"I said bugger off."

Draco huffed but walked over to him, "I can have Severus take a look at her or at least her blood. Then he can see if he recognizes it."

"Just go away, Malfoy. I don't want to be near you more than I must."

* * *

There was no preacher and no priest. The church was made of stone, the inside empty except for a few tattered cushions and the portrait of Merlin. Harry kneeled on the cushion, wondering what he was going to do without a priest. Don't only the priest have the power to call among the elders? Draco kneeled on the cushion besides him and pulled a small knife out of his cloak. It was one similar to what a craftsman would use. It was small but the blade was thick and sharp.

With a steady right hand, he cut five straight lines into the palm of his left. The blood bubbled to the surface and dripped onto the floor. Draco handed Harry the switchblade and Harry lifted it up. Draco's blood was still dripping off the blade. He closed his eyes as the blade cut his skin like butter. His eyes watered and he clenched his teeth. He lifted it up again and again and again, until all five lines were cut into his palm. The blood dripped to the stone floor, staining it. Draco's calm face daunted him for his weakness as he looked up at the portrait of Merlin. Merlin paid them no mind.

"Press your palm to the floor. Pray to him, inside your head."

Harry nodded and pressed the bloodied hand to the floor, attempting to ignore the sting that shook his body. The heat in his stomach was slowly fading away, taking his courage with it. He tried to think of Hermione, safe and reading. He tried to think of Europe in peace, trade flourishing and peasants sleeping in the warmth of their huts as their crops grew to spectacular colors. He prayed for the health of the people of Europe. He prayed for safety, for protection. He prayed for everything. He felt terrible, asking for Merlin to grant him such wishes. The risk of millions were at stake...

He heard the blood pulsing in his ears and the tears dripping out of his eyes. The dragon blood that stained the stone was slowly being eaten by the stone and he looked up to see Merlin staring intently at them, as if reading their minds. His mind became fuzzy from blood loss and exhaustion was making his lids heavy. His hands lost their grip on the rough floor and he fell down.

He pulled himself up, to see Draco shivering as he clutched his cloak. He quickly took a glance at his hands, the lines were gone but in their place were faded scars. Merlin was still looking at them, his hand in the book to keep his place. Who's books were they that he read? Those limitless ever changing libraries of books. Had he granted them their prayers or was he taunting them? Harry felt cold sweat drip down his chin. How he wished Merlin would speak.

Merlin opened his mouth, "To thy, I offer nothing but the safety of the travelers."

"Thank you, Merlin. We will pray again when we can find you," Draco muttered, still shaking and grabbing his sides. The Elder looked away from them and back to his book. The church felt colder now that the dragon blood no longer filled their stomachs. Harry pulled himself up and Draco did the same, looking a bit doubtful. The sky outside was a brilliant dark blue, waiting to darken to a black. Bill and Fleur were sitting on an old barrel, giving them both weak smiles as they got up.

Bill tried to lighten the mood, "Let's go visit that Dark Lord. Let's see if he's as ugly as they say he is."

* * *

**Review? How'd you like the chapter. Their adventure starts in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Warnings: Murder**

**AN: Well~ chapter 4**

* * *

The shimmering shield around them was as strong as any shelter they could have made. He hated to admit it, but Fleur was a bit more talented with her wand than he was. They had set themselves in an burned down stone cottage. The stone was sooty and it still stood. Bill had manage to levitate enough tree branches to make a roof while Fleur and Draco made the shields and casted protective enchantments to keep out any unwanted strangers. Their horses were inside with them... in case the villagers were hungry. Bill had rode with Fleur and he was still stuck with Draco. The Weasley's horses were the knights and the knights were needed. The war kept swinging their way and they needed as much protection as they could get.

The village was nothing but pure rubble. A few shantytowns were made despite the rubble. Men with sunken cheeks and dull eyes lived among the rubble, eating what they hunted. As far as he could see, it was pure rubble except for the forest behind him. Harry had given the men some mead because their water supply looked dirty, but he didn't dare stay out to long. Robbers were not unheard of. The air was thick with soot but no one complained. Fleur made a small fire to cook the meat she brought from the manor.

Draco had claimed to be full and was asleep besides him. Harry tried to urge the horse away from them but it was no use, the cottage was small. He chewed on the meat and decided to save the rest of his drinking water. Bill seemed content on sitting besides Fleur as she cooked, the man was whipped.

"It won't be long until we reach the Dark Kingdom," Bill mentioned, "There was probably a battle here. I saw a few bones with no scratches. They must have used the killing curse."

Harry nodded as Draco stirred besides him, "I can't wait."

Harry decided he like the haughty king best when he was asleep. Malfoy looked almost childish when he curled around himself as rolled around. Harry had the worst urge to wake him up, just to see what he would do. Suddenly he wished that he learned how to paint like his mother had urged him too. If he did, he could have painted Malfoy asleep and shove the portrait in the boy's face whenever he pleased. A king sleeping on hard ground on dead land. It nearly could have been a picture from hell with all the charred stones that made the cottage.

"It won't be that bad. We can dress like them. They won't know a difference, Harry. It might work out, think about it. If we kill the lord, everything else that belongs to him will crumble. The death eaters are nothing without their Lord."

"Do you think my mother will worry?"

Bill shrugged, "Your mother seems like a strong woman, a Queen always keeps a stiff upper lip. She will worry and pray, I am sure, but she will be fine. You are safe. I will make sure of it. If our manor was closer to your kingdom, we would be a part of it, Harry. You are as much my king as Fudge is."

"I can protect myself."

Bill shook his head, "You are not well trained in defense in the dark arts."

"I am! It's the only thing I'm good at. I'll show you when we have to fight! I can fight, Bill. Why won't anyone believe me?"

Bill still shook his head, "Even if you can, you are a prince. We won't let you die."

"Malfoy is a king! Why does he get to do stuff? Why am I stuck to wait around all day?"

"You're the chosen one. The boy who lived."

Harry cocked his head, "Of course I am alive! What do you mean by chosen one?"

"There is a Seer, she had a prophecy about the Dark Lord. It was about a child born in late July, the year you were born. The child was destined to fight the Dark Lord. I don't know what the prophecy said, I only know what I know from my father. He was on the floo with Mom so I just heard that. I'm sure that's why Draco took you."

"My father made an allegiance with him."

"Your father must have known. See that mark on your head? It's his mark on you, the Dark Lord's. No one knows how, but he tried to kill you. He couldn't. After that, he disappeared until the Rising."

"What's that?"

"It's been a long day. I'll tell you some other time."

* * *

Harry handed Fleur his cloak which she quickly slipped into a little pouch that hung around her neck as Draco handed him another one. The cloak was back with odd intricate charcoal gray designs but it was a bit too long for him. He felt silly holding the silver painted mask, it may have looked terrifying on whatever Death Eater they stole it from but he looked ridiculous. He knew he was a prince and all but nobility bought him little more than a name and a fancy castle to call home. He had the body of a prepubescent nine year old boy. The cloak obviously belonged to a woman as it cinched in around the waist. The frilly hemline annoyed him but apparently, all of the robes had that or some other silly design.

The pieces of the kingdom were at the horizon, the Black Kingdom. Lord Black came from there, he was the heir, but some things he did during his youth got him banished and his father gave him the largest manor besides the kingdom and it was that way ever since. It was just the way of things. Black Kingdom was still stuck in the times of the elders. Even it's towers and knights looked a bit tired. They were supporters of the Dark Lord and were extremely proud of it. Lord Black was a supporter of Merlin and one against cruel crimes, his beliefs didn't fit in well with the ways of his family.

Harry strapped the mask onto his face and joined Draco on the horse, sighing as the horse started to trot towards the town. Flags with the Dark Mark hung from most stores and despite the many knights dressed in black, there were hardly any people walking around. Windows were covered and if the open signs weren't there, he would have sworn that the stores were closed. Draco stopped his horse and got off, Bill did the same. The knights did little about them, only looking at them before nodding. Harry sat awkwardly on the horse as Draco whispered something into Bill's ear. Fleur looked down at the horse, avoiding all eye contact. The town looked as dull as the gray clouds in the sky.

Draco motioned for him to get off the horse and he did. Harry jumped off and Draco tied the horse to the fence before opening the door of an inn. The inn was a little cramped place with wooden floors and a little old man behind a desk. Stairs led to the upstairs rooms. Draco paid and urged them upstairs. They went into one room and Draco sat down and looked out the dusty window.

"We will meet here at night. There is a manor not far from here that the Dark Lord was rumored to once lived in. It's in the destructed muggle town not far from here. The building isn't in the best condition but maybe we will find something."

"Do you even know what you are doing, Malfoy?"

Malfoy huffed, "I know more than you. Your father told me about it and not you."

Harry just turned away as Bill started to cast some silencing charms on the walls of the room. He found little reason of why they even got the room. There was a bed and a dresser. Not much else really. He pulled down the mask and looked out the window too see the window of another house. The curtains were flapping despite the fact that the window was closed and there was little breeze. Bill and Draco started to walk out of the room and the creak of the door startled him.

He glared at the closed door as Fleur flung herself down onto the bed.

"Finally! Ah... zee floor is so 'ard. My back eez in pain!"

"Can I go out?"

Fleur pulled the quilt up to her chin, "Don't die, 'Arry. Keep zee mask on."

Harry nodded and ran down the wooden stairs and past the innkeeper. By the time he got down, both horses were gone. He frowned and pulled his mask back up. The stores seemed interesting enough and he had kept a little pouch on his waist filled with coins. The rest of his bags were shrunken and put into Draco's bags which were on the horse. It bothered him that he couldn't go but the least he could do was look around the town. A man in a black cloak similar to his looked at him for a moment before walking over.

"Ah! Are you late to the meeting, young Sir? My arm is burning," the man that approached him wore a lavish set of robes underneath his cloak, all of which were of gays and blacks. Harry couldn't help but notice the necklace the man wore, gold with many thick gold charms attached, many with blood red rubies attached.

"Uhh..."

The man's chuckle was muffled by the mask he wore, "Didn't get the mark yet? I'll bring you there, kid. We're gonna win this war, boy. Silly believers of Merlin? Can't see that the war is ours to win. Slytherin is most happy with us."

Harry nodded following the act, "Yes, very."

The man swung his arm over Harry's shoulder and led them down the road, "Wish I had a son like you. My daughter is too busy with social activities to do anything useful. A son is what I need to train. Where's your dad?"

"Oh... he's doing work in... another kingdom. Yeah... another kingdom."

"You don't speak like you come from this town and you came out of an inn, from which kingdom are you?"

"Uh-"

The man cut him off, "I'm originally from Fudge, but I sold my land and went to Malfoy's. The old king was good, he was about to convert the whole kingdom. Died before he could. Hope his kid comes back from whatever he's doing soon. Heard it's a mission from the Dark Lord himself. All the supporters came here for the time being. Dull town isn't it? Nothing like the Malfoy's kingdom. The man was a sucker for a good building. I remember visiting the castle, marble floors and white fancy birds. Heard they were peacocks."

"Oh... that's nice."

"I tried adopting their language... much to hard kid. The least I can do is serve the lord."

The man pointed at what looked like a jail, "That's the place. Let's get in."

Harry noticed that there was actually people here. All of them wore different shades of black cloaks and mask. Horses were silently chewing on the grass that grew in the front, flipping their tails occasionally. The jail like building had no security, not a single knight. The man led them up the stone steps and into what looked like a theater before leaving him. There was a large crowd, which must have been the reason why the streets were so empty. The people seemed to range from the wealthy elites down to the commonfolk who wore plainer black robes. They spoke in dull voices, some louder than others. However, nobody seemed to be intent on showing any emotion in the room. A man was on the stage, with a table in front of him covered in parchment. A little inkwell sat at the edge and a quill was in his hands.

He hit the table with what looked oddly like a hammer and the chattering of the room died down. The man has a stern face and a thick neck. His mask was on the table and his pointy black eyes glinted at the crowd. He wore a silver necklace bearing the mark. His hair was a peppery gray and his skin was as white as rice.

"The Dark Lord has honored us by allowing the people Europe to work for him, to rule the land with him. Yet! Yet, there are traitors, some who may be your neighbor, your tailor. He is here with us today, he will show you what he does to traitors! Blood will be poured and they will leave this world into the next where they will burn in the depths of the world. Their names and crimes are in front of me and today will be their last!"

A man at the side of the stage chuckled and walked on. Harry thought he was wearing a mask, but no. He had a face as flat as marble with the oddest blue tone to it. His eyes were slits, he had no hair, no nose, no brow. His lips were nothing. He wore a plain black robe and had red eyes. He wore no cloak and plain black shoes, polished to the point where they were little black pools of water. Everyone around him bowed and he followed along. The man stood in front of the table, his hand sliding gingerly behind him to grasp a sheet of parchment. His smile was terrifying, a long starched line in his face. Was he even human?

Morbid fascination kept his eyes glued to the man. The Dark Lord looked so frail, white pale agile fingers that seemed to stretch on forever and thin wrist that peeked out from under his robes. Yet the man radiated power in his blood red eyes and stretched smile. His plain robes were as rich as velvets and adoring eyes never faltered their gaze. The Dark Lord licked his lips and chuckled, a high echoing that seemed to ring in the air.

"Let's see which of you defied my orders and disgraced the name of Slytherin," he hissed, his voice echoing against the walls of the room.

"John Dawlish, come up here. Bring your lovely wife too."

Two people in mask went up onto the stage and fell to their knees and took off their mask to kiss the hem of the man's robes. The man took a step away and motioned for the woman to get up. She had short light brown hair and bright hazel eyes which were slowly filling with tears. She refused to look at anyone in the room but her lips were moving. The man was thin, around the age of thirty. He never looked away from the ground.

"Dawlish, look at your wife. How she trembles. Remove his robes and set him upon the table!"

A woman with wild hair vanished his robes with her wand and a hefty man cleared the table of the parchment before putting Dawlish down. Dawlish struggled but a punch to his face stopped his defiance. Harry watched with horror as Dawlish was magically tied down with red ropes, only in his underwear. His wife was bawling but the hefty man was holding her in place. The man with the red eyes stroked Dawlish's leg affectionately.

"You visited Fudge and you were seem sleeping with a muggle, did you not?"

"I did not, Lord! I swear upon Slytherin! I did not!"

Lord... the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord was on the stage! The woman's falling to the floor screaming brought him out of his thoughts. There was blood on the stage and the Dark Lord was holding her hand... he had cut off her hand! There was a wave of gasps as the Dark Lord held the hand above Dawlish's undergarments and let the blood drip onto them.

"Please! Don't hurt my wife! I admit to it! I admit to sleeping with a muggle. I was unloyal, not her!"

"Mudbloods... sleeping with a mudblood. How was it Dawlish? How was she? What'd you do to her? Would you want your wife to see? Did you like bedding her?"

The Dark Lord dragged the hand down his legs, leaving a line of blood, "Now your poor little wife has to pay the price. She has done nothing wrong yet she lost a hand. Do you remember that muggle girl? She was a peasant with leathery skin. What made you want that muggle, hm? You have this lovely wife here. A loyal Death Eater, she just fears for your death. Silly little thought as you deserve this death."

Dawlish's breathing had become struggled as the blood dripping down his leg and Harry had trouble holding down the little food in his stomach. The hand in the Dark's Lord hand was losing color and Dawlish's wife was whimpering on the floor. The hefty man transfigured a piece of parchment into an axe and handed it to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord dropped the hand and took the axe, positioning it at Dawlish's neck.

"Death will not be all that you face. You have children, they'll suffer."

Dawlish gasped as the cold metal rubbed against his neck, "Don't hurt them, honorable Lord. Give mercy. They are only children."

The Dark Lord chuckled, "You won't be there to see it. My men will do whatever they please to them. How they love children. Fenrir has a certain taste for them. Bellatrix, the freezing potion, please."

The lady with the wild hair took a small vial out of her sleeve and handed it to him. The Dark Lord took it in one hand and swirled the pale blue contents and popped off the silver stopper with his thumb, letting it fall to the ground. The surrounding Death Eaters scooted away. Suddenly, Harry appreciated the anonymity that the dark cloak and mask gave him. He felt safe among the enemy, even if only a little bit.

"My potion's master invented this little mixture. It'll keep you're dead heart beating for a whole year. Even in death, cold air will escape your lips and you won't be let to rest in peace. Not for such a crime you did. Paying to bed a muggle? Pathetic fool."

"Good Lord, give mercy. I'm sorry!"

The Dark Lord hissed, "We do not condone traitors!"

With his words, he forced the mixture into Dawlish's throat. Dawlish gagged as potion splattered onto his cheeks. Soon, the echo of his heart beating was in the ears of every man and woman in the room. His wife screamed as she covered her mouth with her one good hand. She was paling up, dyeing of blood loss. Harry felt something get stuck in his throat, but horror left his staring at the scene. Dawlish's face got blue and the Dark Lord swung the axe and cleanly chopped of his head, which fell down besides his wife who let out a strangled cry. The room was filled with hushed words, all of which sounded like a mix of fear and enjoyment. It made him feel sick.

The heart still beat and the Dark Lord lifted Dawlish's wife up, leaving his head on the floor. He swirled his wand and made a shimmering hand and attached it to the bleeding arm of the lady. She sobbed as she thanked him, flexing her hand and bowing at him, her body still trembling. The lady with the wild hair led her off the stage as she sobbed even harder, her body shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"Everyone may leave, may you all be honorable in the name of Slytherin!"

Harry turned around and dashed out of the room, running back to the inn as quickly as his feet would allow him too. People chattered happily around him, as if they just say a show. He coughed and choked under the mask, wishing to breathe in good air. Everything felt so thick and sticky. How did they watch that man who was one of them get his head cut off and give no remorse?! It was inhumane... but the Dark Lord... the Dark Lord looked like a demon with that smooth face. Yes, he was the devil himself.

* * *

He sat in the corner of the room, shivering as Fleur gave him a cup of warm goat milk. He thanked her and sipped on it, his body wouldn't stop the tremble in his veins. Everything felt so cold, he was sure he still heard Dawlish's heart. Fleur looked at him oddly but sat back down on the bed, not pressing any questions. Harry looked down at the streets to see the men and women in dark robes casually entering and leaving shops. Some of them kept their mask on but others didn't. At the end of the street, he saw Draco on his horse. If it wasn't for the pure black horse, Harry wouldn't have recognized him. Bill was riding besides him.

He heard their boots come upstairs and their muffled voices. When the door opened, he couldn't make himself look at them. He felt as if he betrayed them, watching the Dark Lord kill a man on stage. Maybe he would have been able to kill the Dark Lord if he tried, but he didn't. He didn't do a thing. Was he that much of a coward? Was he scared of death? Or was he scared of the humiliation he would have to face if he didn't kill the Dark Lord? If Malfoy was there, he was sure that Malfoy would have done at least something.

"Potter? What's up with him?"

"Aye! Ask 'em."

Harry shook his head, sipping the milk as he did so, "M' fine.

Draco shrugged and pulled sheets off the bed and onto the floor, making himself a makeshift bed on the floor.

Harry almost scoffed, "King Malfoy sleeping on the floor?"

Draco just rolled his eyes and leaned back into the pile of sheets, "If you don't remember I've been sleeping on the floor for the past few days. Malfoy's aren't peasants but we know how to be proper men, Potter. Chivalry comes before one's ego. It's only honorable for Fleur to sleep on the bed. She is a free woman now."

Harry turned away and tried to get the Dark Lord's face out of his head. He didn't want to see it anymore. Yet it wouldn't leave. The jagged scar on his head pulsed softly. It wasn't painful, but the throbbing irritated him.

"Why don't you go buy us some food, keep the mask on. No need for anyone to see your face."

He huffed and got up, trying to ignore the constant pulsing. Bill gave him a pitiful look but didn't stop him. Draco threw him a pouch and fell back over on his side to go to sleep, his mask resting on the floor besides him. Harry pulled the mask back down as he walked out of the little inn. The busy streets seemed almost casual, if it weren't for the painted mask and all black robes. Harry read over store names until he found a common store. The store was like every other building, dull and sagging. The yellowed window showed him green vegetables and boxes of tea leaves.

The inside was lit by a few lanterns and a young man sat behind the counter, not bothering to look up at him. A banner hung over the shelves, the words painted in black over beige linen.

_Absolution will only be given to those who are faithful to the Lord._

If he didn't know better, he would have almost thought it was a muggle banner. Of course, no muggles survived in the kingdom of Black. He looked at tins of tea leaves and pouches of dried sweetmeats. He noticed that most of the tins were painted with the Dark Mark. They didn't look painted, they looked burned. The greens were a bit wilted and the room smelt sweetly of herbs. The artless barrels of sugared fruits called to him, Yet he couldn't make himself look that way. His mother loved sugared fruits.

"Mask are not allowed in the store, Sir," the man behind the counter mumbled as he looked up from the piece of parchment in his hands.

"Sorry."

Harry made sure his hair was covering his mark before pulling off the mask. The man just rose a brow and waved him over.

"I may be mistaken but I recognize your face."

Harry coughed uncomfortably into his arm, "No, Sir. I don't come from here. Might be someone else."

The man's eyes scanned over his face. As he examined him, Harry noticed that he had bright yellow eyes. There was no other way to describe it. Even in the light of only lanterns, they glowed an unnatural yellow. The man had matted brown hair and wore brown robes with a black cloak over them. The robes were strained against his chest and his face looked as if it were leather.

"I know that face."

Harry shook his head, "You can't. I don't come from here. I... travel a lot. Maybe you seen me someplace else..."

"The forest. That was you!"

Harry frantically shook his head and was about to run from the store when the man grabbed his arm, pulling him closer, "I know it was you. You smell like him. We almost got you. If it wasn't for that sword of yours we would have gotten you."

"N-no! I wasn't in the forest!"

The man chuckled, showing him yellowed teeth, "I won't eat you now. Name's Scabior."

"Let me go! I'll give you money."

Scabior laughed, his robes stretching over his chest. Harry saw the filth on the man's neck, layered and crumbling. What was a werewolf doing in a kingdom that sided with the Dark Lord? Werewolves were creatures! What happened to all the teachings about purebloods and tainted blood? Harry tugged on his arm, scared that the man would rip it loose. He looked as if he had the ability to. The robes looked uncomfortably tight on the man and his finger were made of steel.

Harry tried pulling away again but the man wouldn't let him loose. He tried to wiggle his arm free but the man was holding his wand hand. The man seemed amused by his struggling. There was the wildest look in his eyes and as Harry pulled harder, the man tightened his grip. The struggling divested him of his audacity and he had to hold the counter to keep himself up. He breathed heavily as the man let him go and pointed a wand at him, giving him a perfect view of his rotting teeth.

"You can leave now, boy. See you at the next moon."

Harry bolted out the door and pulled on his mask, not daring to look back at the store. People in the streets gave him odd looks but went on with their days. His heart was daring to jump out of his chest and each try to being plausible failed. How were they so calm when a werewolf ran their common store? What if the food was tainted? Worse, what if they ate the town's children and young ones who weren't able to fend for themselves. The streets still remained paved, people walked by as if he wasn't struggling to breathe.

He climbed up the stairs, huffing with tears pooling up at the chin of the mask. He couldn't make himself go in through the door. He was pathetic... He let himself fall outside the door and rested his cheek on the smooth surface of the door, his fingers running through the tawdry fringes of the old tapestry under his fingers. He was sure Dawlish's brain was pumping right beside him. His brain must have been playing tricks on him, because when he was lulled into sleep, the ground felt as soft as any bed could have ever been.

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